


The Wraith and her Ghost

by Anibelli



Category: Six of Crows Series - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: BAMF Inej Ghafa, But he is a ghost, F/M, Ghost!Kaz, Kaz Brekker is not dead, M/M, Magic, Modern AU, Quest Quest Quest!, Somehow, i swear its not sexual he needs help finding something
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-28
Updated: 2019-05-31
Packaged: 2019-12-25 13:50:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18262589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anibelli/pseuds/Anibelli
Summary: Inej's apartment has been haunted for a year. But one day, the ghost attempts to communicate with her instead of breaking her stuff. He needs help. And his definition of help is very loose.Also, he claims he's not actually a ghost.





	1. Inej

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inej meets someone important.

Inej stepped out of the shower, and raised her eyebrows. Something was written on her mirror.

Her apartment had been haunted for a year. The ghost broke stuff constantly, hid her keys before she had to leave, even took the glass out of her hands before she took a drink. But never had it attempted to communicate.

She wrapped herself in her towel and stepped closer. It was hastily written, but she could tell the hand was steady, and the letters were thin and straight. She could feel the air beginning to thin, so she grabbed a phone and snapped a picture of the writing before it faded away.

She glanced back up at the writing.

_“I can help you if you help me.”_

_Cryptic…_ she thought. But she shrugged and went to change.

As she left her bathroom, she felt the air turn cold. She turned just in time to see a book fly at her head. She yelped and ducked.

“Excuse me!” she snapped. “I saw your message! Look, I even took a picture of it. But how can I help you if you don’t tell me what you need help with?”

The air soured, and she could tell the ghost was frustrated.

Inej huffed. “I would gladly help you. But you can’t be so cryptic with your writing.”

She walked over to her dresser, and dropped her towel, beginning to change. The air turned hot, and they eyes that followed her turned away.

“Are you embarrassed?” Inej asked, pulling her shirt over her head. “Didn’t think ghosts could get embarrassed…”

A small gust of wind, almost like a huff or a sigh.

She heard the unmistakable whirr of her computer turning on, and looked on in disbelief as the ghost hacked her computer and opened a document, typing something out.

She walked over, wet hair sticking to her shirt, and leaned over to see a single sentence typed out.

_Put some pants on._

She barked out a laugh, and went to do as the ghost wished.

* * *

She was getting ready in the mirror the next day when she glanced back up and there was someone behind her.

Instantly, she grabbed her nearest pocket knife and spun around, holding the knife before her.

There was no one there.

She glanced back in the mirror. Nope, there definitely was someone there.

Or, at least partially someone. She could see the black crop of hair, and the sharp nose, and the blurry outline of a male figure… but it was hard to see his eyes.

“So, you do have a form,” Inej said, placing her knife down gently. The figure nodded.

“Can you speak?”

She could feel the animosity rolling off the ghost when he shook his head no.

“Did you live in this house when you died?”

The ghost seemed agitated at that question, but answered with another shake of his head, indicating no.

“Hey, it’s okay. I’ll find a way to help you.” Inej reached out to touch the ghost, but as soon as her hand reached his form in the mirror, he vanished.

* * *

“Hello? Ghost?” Inej called out, standing before her mirror. A gust of wind, and a figure appeared behind her again. “I bought you something,”

She could feel the dull curiosity, like an adult watching a children’s show and the music turns dramatic. She ruffled in her bag and pulled out her gift: a whiteboard and marker.

"Now we can talk more effectively," she grinned. A shrug.

She felt a tug, and watched the figure pull the whiteboard out of her hands and uncap the marker. A scribble, and the whiteboard flipped toward her.

_Help me find my body._

Inej felt her stomach twist. “Like, your grave? That’s what you want help with?”

She felt irritation fill the air. The writing was wiped away.

_I’m not dead. I need to return to my body._

Well, this was _not_ what she expected. “Alright. Where were you when you left your body?”

_Don’t know._

“Hmm… what’s the last thing you remember?”

_You don’t need to know that._

_“_ Yes, I do. Please tell me.”

A hesitation, then:

_I tripped and blacked out. I woke up on Main Street with no memory of how I got there and no body._

_“_ Weird. I’ll do some research. What’s your name?”

_Kaz Brekker._

_“_ Inej Ghafa. It’s nice to meet you, Kaz,” she smiled, and the sky light up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a possible work in progress? Idk i think it's an interesting (and cute) concept, and I have a rough draft in mind if you guys wanna see more?  
> i ship them so hard though  
> ~ Ani


	2. Kaz

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaz learns how to live with a woman who can't see him.

God, Kaz was so screwed.

He woke up as a ghost, got trapped inside this random woman’s apartment, and found himself very… comfortable while “living” with her. She had a simple routine, and and a kind heart. And a dangerous past.

He knew he recognized her. It was two months ago that he realized where.

She received a call in the middle of the night, waking him up as well as her. She stumbled over to her phone, answered it groggily, and after a second, threw the phone across the room. Kaz snapped fully awake immediately, sitting up and staring at her shaking form. Inej left the room. He heard water running.

Kaz walked over and picked up her phone. The number was blocked. It didn’t take much work to find the number, however, and Kaz soon had the number memorized and was blackmailing the person behind the number, (Carl Robison) and getting a lot of information.

Turns out that Carl Robison worked for Heleen Van Houden, owner of the House of Exotics, known on the streets as The Menagerie. People called her The Peacock to avoid raising suspicion from the authorities. Heleen worked with human traffickers across the world, taking young boys and girls under her care, and “breaking them in”. Kaz occasionally visited the House for information. Men talked more when drunk and surrounded by pretty women. 

He remembered her now. He remembered where he first saw Inej Ghafa, sitting in silks, dark eyeliner, and false spots dotting her skin, making her look a little bit more like the Lynx she was supposed to be emanating. Her dark gaze followed his form, but he didn’t feel the lust that he felt from the other girls. He felt curiosity, and a small sense of longing. Not romantic longing. But longing to walk freely as he did, longing to build herself a life far, far away from this building.

He kept walking.

Now, he wished he had stopped, spoken to her a second, learned more about the girl who clearly still had her innocent, even after all those years of losing it.

Inej had stayed home for two days, clearly paranoid and panicking. Any small noise made her flinch, and her hand never strayed far from the pocket knife in her pocket. Kaz didn’t throw any objects those two days. He didn’t have it in him.

The third day, she had left the house. Kaz took apart her computer and reset it. 

She came back with a bag and a friend: a small, wiry boy with sun-kissed red curls. Kaz knew him, of course; Wylan Van Eck, son of Jan Van Eck, CEO of a large corporation that owned smaller companies, ranging from a shipyard to a florists. Kaz had never met Wylan, but he made an effort to know the faces of possibly important people, along with secret information that could potentially be useful in the future.

Wylan spent ten minutes fiddling with Inej’s computer, brow furrowing and unfurrowing, occasionally having Inej read some sentences of coding for him. Kaz filed  _ Wylan Van Eck is dyslexic  _ into the back of his brain for future reference.

After sitting and staring for a solid thirty seconds, Wylan turned around in Inej’s desk chair.

“Am I the first person to work on this computer?”   


Her eyebrow raised. “Well, I’ve brought it in for maintenance a few times. But recently? Yes.”

Wylan pushed up his glasses. “Well, it looks like someone rewired the mainframe… your computer is completely off the grid. There’s pretty much no way to track it or find it.”

Inej frowned, but thanked Wylan for his help. He left, and she was alone in her room. With Kaz, of course, but she didn’t know that.

She fished in the grey plastic bag, conspicuous enough that it could have been from any large shopping store.

She pulled out a handheld knife, something she definitely couldn’t get at Walmart.

“Hello, old friend,” she murmured, and Kaz remembered the headlines five years ago.

_ Heleen Van Houden, owner of popular night club, survives knife attack from angry customer _

The blade was sharp and appeared untouched. The handle was metal, wrapped in fabric as a makeshift grip. The top edge was slightly bloodstained.

After a light toss, she flicked it through the air. Kaz flinched, it went right through him. He looked down in shock, before remembering his body wasn’t really a body, and turned. The knife quavered in the wall.

Inej let out a deep sigh. “I’m gonna need more knives.”

Kaz grinned.  _A fine idea._

* * *

Kaz had a routine while living with Inej. Well,  _ staying _ with Inej.

If she was changing or showering, he turned away or left the room. Even if he was a criminal, he wasn’t a scumbag. He did things with grace and class, and spying on changing women did not fall under that category. 

He watched Netflix when she was gone for the day, doing work. He gave up trying to escape the house a long time ago. After all, there’s not much ghost lockpicks can do against an invisible barrier, though it was extremely difficult to admit. Also, Sherlock was really good (even if he could predict every ending) and Stranger Things had a well-made suspense element.

He ate her food sparingly, trying not to make her spend more money than she had to. After all, he wasn’t a  _ real  _ ghost. He still had a body to upkeep, and that required sustenance. He drank her water, ate her food, and then he would clean up after himself, because he wasn’t going to take advantage of her hospitality, especially if she didn’t know he was there.

She figured out about him around seven months ago when he accidentally stumbled and bumped into a vase, knocking it to the floor and sending the pieces everywhere.

Inej whirled around, looking at the vase that was previously stable on the counter. 

She glanced across the room.

“Hello?”

Kaz straightened, brushing himself off. She looked right past him. He frowned. 

_ Still can’t see me… _

“Is someone there?” Inej asked, reaching into her pocket and flicking out a pocket knife. Kaz raised his eyebrows. He did not expect that from a gymnastics teacher.

She stalked forward, stance crouched low and feet silent, as always. Kaz hadn’t been scared by someone since he was eleven. Then he got stuck in this apartment with silent Inej Ghafa, and learned the true meaning of  _ silent and deadly.  _

She walked past him, darting around the corner and looking for any sign of life. Kaz wasn’t sure if there would be any. He certainly wasn’t sure if he was alive anymore. Then again, the need for food and water would indicate that he was alive… right?

After confirming that her house was indeed empty, and tidying up the broken vase, Inej walked to her garbage can, straight through Kaz.

She froze, exiting his body and spinning around.

He felt cold.

“W-who’s there?”

Kaz was stunned. She felt him. Somehow, though she couldn’t see him, she couldn’t hear him, she felt him.

Without taking his gaze off her, he raised his hand and knocked on the wall.

She flinched back, staring at the wall in shock. Slowly, she took a step back, another step, then bolted, leaving her home in a flash.

He didn’t hear anything from her until the front door slammed shut.

 

She returned that night, seemingly unperturbed by the incident that morning. Kaz didn’t bother her, still mulling over the whole ordeal. 

That night, he had a dream.

He had a dream from the person he knew put him in this situation.

“Hello, Kaz,” Nina Zenik said, a smirk on her lips. She was seated in a plush purple chair, in front of a small circular table with a crystal ball on it. The room was her divining room. A scam artist at her finest, Nina was a Heartrender, a Corporal Witch who used her powers to work with the living body. She was a decent healer, and Kaz used her abilities after a heist goes wrong, which is to say, very rarely. But Kaz had pissed her off, saying she was expendable. 

“Zenik,” he growled. “Put me back in my body or I swear I’ll slit your throat and blame it on—”   


“On who, Brekker? Inej Ghafa?”

Kaz stilled. “Who is she?”

“She’s a gymnastics teacher trying to escape a bad past. Real sweet girl, didn’t deserve what happened to her. I like her. She keeps her life quiet, calm.”

“I’ve noticed.”   


“Oh, don’t look so sour, Brekker. I’ve seen your future, and yours looks especially bright.”   


“You can’t see the future any better than you can sing, Zenik. Don’t play that game with me. Why did you put me with her?”

“She’s a sweet girl, Brekker. And she needs to disappear. I know you’re better at that than anyone.”

His brow furrowed. “You want me to get rid of her? Didn’t you just say that you liked her?”

Nina rolled her eyes. “Dumbass. I don’t mean kill her. There are people looking for her. Once you help her, she can help you.”

“Who’s looking for her?”

“Well, if I told you, that would ruin the fun, wouldn’t it?”

Kaz glared at her. “I’ve seen her before.”   


Nina looked unimpressed. “I shouldn’t be surprised to hear you say that. Of course you’d go there, scumbag.”

He snarled “What—?”

“Easy, crow…” She raised her hand and he felt his chest tighten. The golden beads woven into her hair glimmered in the dim light. “Don’t make me end this trip early.”

“I’ll kill you…” he managed to spit out. She rolled her eyes again.

“Enough with the death threats. You’re not seventeen anymore, act like an adult for once. Listen. She can help you, you can help her, bing bang boom: your problems are solved.”

Kaz glowered. 

“So,” Nina leaned forward. “Are you in?”   


Kaz thought of the dark skinned girl, with the pitch black hair and the stunning brown eyes. She was short, lithe, fast, and silent.

“I’m in.”

 

From then on, Kaz did everything he could to get her attention. He broke her stuff, hid her keys before she had to leave, he even took the glass out of her hand before she took a sip and tried to talk to her. But she couldn’t hear him. And after a while, she stopped caring about the pointless actions. 

Then one day, he forgot she was taking a shower, and walked in, only to see the mirror covered in mist.

An idea formed, and he grinned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really excited for this one! I enjoyed writing this a lot, and I couldn't help but pump this out while I was at work.  
> I hope you all enjoy  
> ~Ani


	3. Chapter 3: Inej (and a bit of Kaz)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get more... punchy

“So. you can’t leave?” Inej asked. A scribble.  _ No.  _

“What have you tried?”

_ Anything and everything.  _

“Hmm…”

_ Except you. _

Inej raised an eyebrow.“Excuse me?”

_ The person who put me here told me you could help me if I could help you. _

_ And I’m ready to help. _

“But… I don’t need help?” Inej tilted her head.

_ I’ve heard you need to disappear. _

Ah. Help with that.

“I think I’m handling it well enough on my own. I haven’t had an incident in almost a year now.”

_ Your intimidation could use some work.  _

Inej frowned but did not argue. It was true. She was a disaster at threatening people. She had grown soft.

_ Now, do we have a deal? _

Inej sighed. “Fine. I’ll help you find your body.”

_ Perfect. _

* * *

It was harder than she’d expected.

First, she tried telling Kaz he could leave. The invisible barrier stopped him. She tried praying to her saints, giving him her blessing, telling him to get out, giving him one of her lucky crystals to leave with, even giving him one of her knives after an intense argument where he promised he wouldn’t stab her with it. She had kept one in her hand just in case.

The knife didn’t work. Stabbing the invisible barrier didn’t work, either.

After a moment of silence, Inej suggested, “maybe it requires something a little more physical?”

She could feel the room become tense. She held out her hand.

The whiteboard moved back a step. Then another. Inej’s hair stood on end. 

Kaz left the room.

Inej couldn’t help but feel like Kaz just left her in an online chatroom alone. She frowned after him, wondering why that made him react in such an odd way. 

She pulled out her phone and googled “ _ ways to get ghosts out of your house _ ”. At this point, it was worth a try. 

One website said to use sage to rid your house of unwanted guests. 

Another website said call an exorcist, and provided sketchy phone numbers.

The third said move.

By the time she had tapped the fourth link, Kaz had returned, whiteboard in hand.

Only this time, she could see his hands.

Or, what was covering them.

Two leathers gloves (previously owned by her father from when he visited with her mother back in April, until he forgot them at her apartment and she never bothered to ship them back) were settled on his hands.

She raised an eyebrow. “Gloves? You know my skin is dark naturally, not dirty.”

_ That’s not funny. _

“You’re right. It’s not. Are you ready now?” 

He hesitated.

_ Yes. _

Inej wordlessly held out her hand. Kaz reached forward cautiously, slowly, carefully, as if he was expecting her to flick out her knife and stab him. Not that she actually could. 

His palm pressed into hers lightly, ready to pull away at any second. She was surprised to feel warmth radiating from his fingers. 

Then she blinked in surprise.   


He was shaking. Only slightly, but it was clear as day.

She had the sudden feeling that they needed to make an attempt before he never spoke to her again.

She pulled him forward quickly, opening the door and stepping through. She felt no resistance as they entered the hallway of the apartment building. The door shut behind them with a  _ click. _

Kaz ripped his hand out of hers before she could blink. 

Inej took a step back, watching Kaz scribble out a quick  _ thank you  _ onto the board, and begin to head down the hall.

“Um, where are you going?” Inej called. 

_ To find my body. _

“Umm, can I grab my phone first?”

_ Fine. Hurry up. _

Inej slipped back inside her apartment, grabbing her keys, phone, wallet, and, on a third thought, grabbed Sankta Anastasia, her old knife. Pulling on her jacket, she left the apartment, locking it with a quick turn of her keys, and faced Kaz. 

_ Are you ready? _

“Yes. Do you remember where your body is?”

Just that phrase alone gave her chills. It reminded her who she was dealing with. 

_ I have a vague idea. If it’s not there, the person who did this might have moved it to a different location. _

“Who did this to you?”   


_ Unfortunately, I can’t tell you, or she might just stop my heart. _

Stop his heart? Who in this world had the power to turn someone into a ghost?

“How is this possible?” Inej asked as they stepped into the staircase, heading down.

_ I don’t know. I never read very much into things I didn’t believe in. Magic powers is one of those things. _

“You don’t believe in higher powers?”

_ Depends on what you define as a higher power. The person who did this to me is NOT a higher power. Just someone who thinks they can play God as they please. But, I guess this situation proves to me that there is something beyond the physical plane of existence. How annoying. _

“What about God?”

_ He’s a fairy-tale made to excuse white men in their horrendous acts and blame the lesser. I would assume you know of such acts. _

She narrowed her eyes. “How do you know about that?”

_ I know a lot of things. I know you’re a gymnastics teacher. I know you like honeycrisp apples. And I know Heleen Van Houden refuses to enter a room without an armed guard these days. I guess I can thank you for that. _

Heleen Van Houden. The name sent chills down her spine, and she refused to lock up. She could not freeze. She needed to rid herself of this ghost and be on her merry way. He would help her disappear. This was her only chance in escaping forever.

Part of her wished she could just slit Heleen’s throat and be done with it.

But she had never killed a man before, and she wasn’t sure she would be able to bring herself to do it.

“What business do you have with The Peacock?”

_ Nothing fun, I can assure you. Just business. _

Inej was quiet when she spat out, “You shouldn’t get involved with her. She’s a monster.”

Kaz didn’t answer for a bit.

_ There are many who use that name for me as well, Inej. _

* * *

Inej carried the whiteboard and gloves as they walked down the street, conspicuously stepping to the side and handing the whiteboard over to Kaz whenever he tugged on it and needed to say something. 

_ This is a bad side street, stay off it. _

_ That man there is a dealer. Unless you’re in the mood to ruin your life, avoid him. _

_ Bodyguard for hire, in case something bad happens.  _

Inej only nodded, fearing to say something outloud and call more attention to herself than there already was. 

Kaz lead her down a small alleyway and through a heavy metal door.

_ This is the last place I remember being. Me and a team were moving a shipment into this warehouse, and I had come back that night after a report of a disturbance. Then I woke up on Main Street. _

“Odd…” Inej muttered, glancing around the seemingly deserted warehouse.

She followed the floating gloves through the shipping crates, weaving in and out of isles, slipping between cracks she didn’t think she could.

_ Why can’t I hear your footsteps ever? Even in those boots? _

Inej blinked. “I trained myself to be silent. The less I was noticed, the easier the night was for me. The less Tante Heleen noticed me. The more comfortable I was in my own home, knowing I could sneak up on an intruder and possibly get the upper hand.”

She could feel Kaz’s gaze on her as she walked, gaze at her feet.

“And I was trained on the high wire as a child.”   


The gaze left. Almost like he was waiting for her to admit it.

She rounded a corner, and a loud  _ BANG  _ sounded. She dropped to a crouch, hiding behind the corner of the shipping crate. Across from her, she could see Kaz’s hands, and knew he was doing the same.

After a few moments of silence, Kaz peeked out from behind the corner. There was nothing.

_ Something probably fell. _

She nodded shakily, standing from her crouch and turning around. A gun barrel pressed against her forehead.

She froze, her vision blurring. A memory surfaced. She was in The Menagerie. In Tante Heleen’s office. A bruiser had a barrel to her forehead. Tante Heleen demanded she worked harder.

The sound of bones breaking snapped her out of her trance. She stumbled back when the barrel went askew, flicking out her knife and whirling forward.

A gloved hand held the man against the shipping container by his throat. He was barely breathing, tears streaming down his face. His arm was dangling uselessly by his side. Inej placed her knife gently against the man’s side. Just a reminder. Though she doubted she would have to do much more to scare a man being held against a container seemingly by a leather glove and nothing else. Everyone was afraid of the dead, deep inside them the fear lurked, pushed down by false beliefs of faith and maturity. But when one is face to face with a ghost ready to kill you...

“Pl-please…” he gasped. “Don’t hurt me… I have in-information… the girls… at the House… of the White… Rose… spare me and I’ll—”

Kaz saw red.

“Do that again and I’ll send your head to your wife in a gift basket decorated with your eyes on the handles.”

“D-Don’t got a w-wife,” the man sputtered out, weeping.

“Your mother then. I’m sure she’d recognize those pretty blue eyes anywhere, whether they’re in your disgusting head or not.”

“I-I won’t. Please…” 

“Who sent you?”   


“M-Mirek Kavika,”

“Ahhh, that pile of horseshit. Didn’t think he was still alive. I’m sure ending you will send the message I need to—”

“Kaz!”

His head whirled to the right, where Inej stood, knife loose in her hand, mouth open. 

“You can talk?”

Kaz’s brow furrowed, “What are you—“ his eyes widened, “I can talk.”

“You can talk,” Inej muttered. 

“I can talk.”   


“How long have you been able to talk?”

“How should I know?” He snapped. “Minutes ago I said ‘shit!’ and you didn’t hear anything!”   


Inej frowned. “Okay…” 

His voice was a bit unsettling, a rock-salt rasp that didn’t hide his true intentions. She felt his voice crawl down her back, unleashing her darkest thoughts, twisting into her mind. 

She knew he meant every word he said. 

What had she gotten herself into?

“Well, this became much easier,” Kaz purred, turning back to the man underneath his palm, ignoring his whimpers of “ _Brekker…_ _Brekker…_ ”

“What does Kavika want with my warehouse?”

“Y-you’ve been missing… for a year… he told me to…”

“To what, Mazursky?” Kaz drawled impatiently. “Spit it out.”

“Take the… red… container,”

Kaz raised an eyebrow. “You were going to steal my things?

“What’s in the red container?” Inej butted in, giving Kaz what she hoped was a pointed look in the eye. She heard his forceful breath and knew he understood.  _ KILLING PEOPLE IS ILLEGAL. _

“I-I don’t know…” Mazursky blubbered. “I was—”   


“Just sent to retrieve it, yes yes. I’ve heard it before. However, since I can’t have you return back to Kavika with all this information,” Kaz began, raising his hand into the air.

“Kaz, no!” Inej said, pulling her knife back from Mazursky’s side. Kaz’s gloved fist sliced through the air and landed onto Mazursky’s temple, sending him sprawling across the floor. His head hit the ground with a sickening  _ thud. _

“Oh saints,” Inej whispered. “He’s not dead, is he?”

She could feel Kaz roll his eyes. “No. But he won’t remember this incident, either. He will stumble back to Kavika this afternoon sporting an extraordinarily painful headache and claim the red container was gone when he arrived.”

“But we can’t move an entire shipping container by ourselves,” Inej countered, following Kaz’s quick footsteps through the container maze. 

“We won’t have to. By tonight, I’ll be back in my body and you’ll be back home, safe and warm, knowing you’ll never see another speck of crime in your quaint life,” Kaz drawled.

Something inside Inej twinged at that comment, but she ignored it, eager to rid herself of this crime lord.

“What do you do for a living?” Inej asked.

“What business do you have asking that question?”   


“I’m the one helping you get your body back, remember?”

“And you’re doing a such a swell job, dragging me through a doorway,” Kaz’s footsteps were uneven and heavy. Hers were silent.

She stayed quiet as they walked. 

“During the day I manage a small bar and casino in the Barrel,” Kaz said, a casual air surrounding the words.

Inej hesitated, not knowing if she truly wanted the response. “And at night?”   


Kaz inhaled. “At night I manage a small gang and our funds in the Barrel.”

Inej’s brow furrowed. “Which gang?”

“That’s not important—”

“Razorgulls? Dime Lions? Black Tips?”

Kaz was taken aback. “The Dregs,” he answered cautiously. “How do you—?”

“I’ve tried to keep tabs on all potential threats to my freedom.” Inej leveled her gaze around his nose. “The gangs of this city were certainly on the list.”

“I’m taller than that,” Kaz said finally, drawing his attention from her lips. “Eyes are here,” he pointed against his temple. Her deep brown eyes flicked upward, meeting just left of his eyes.

“Something about you made me think you’d be shorter.” Inej offered, shrugging. Kaz reeled back in response. 

“I take offense to that.”

“Are you going to kill me now?”

Kaz went quiet. “I don’t just kill people for fun, Inej.”

“You shouldn’t kill people  _ at all,  _ Kaz.”

“It an occupational hazard,” Kaz rolled his eyes, “and besides, you don’t strike me as the type to worry about death, with your past.”   


“First of all, don’t talk about that. I don’t even know how you  _ know  _ about that.” Inej resisted a shudder, “Second of all, my saints don’t approve of murder, and neither do I.”

Kaz snorted. “Murder has existed since the beginning of man itself. Don’t act like your ancestors didn’t kill others in the name of your so-called saints.”

“I am not my ancestors.” Inej said quietly.

Kaz didn’t answer for a second. “Is that why you didn’t kill Heleen Van Houden when you had the chance?”

Inej swallowed. “I will not be insulted by a man with no form. Do not think for a second I did not want to pull her cold, dead heart from her chest. She did not deserve the mercy I gave her.”

“But you still gave it to her,” Kaz cocked his head.

“But I still gave it to her.” Inej’s eyes were distant.

They were silent as they walked together, Kaz’s footsteps louder than the woman with the physical body.

Kaz rounded a corner, and froze.

“What?” Inej asked, stopping and glancing around. She couldn’t see anything different, just more containers.

Kaz’s voice was steady when he said, “The crate is gone.”   


Inej glanced around, and noticed an unfortunate lack of red containers.

“When was the last time you saw it?” she asked.

“This isn’t as unimportant as pair of keys, Inej,” Kaz snapped. “This is a bigger issue.”   


“I can recall a few important times where I was trying to leave and  _ someone  _ hid my keys, Kaz Brekker.”   


He glared at her, and glowered deeper when he remembered she couldn’t see him.

“Why is it so important?”

“That container has the potential to destroy everything you know and love in this world.” Kaz said, turning around and heading toward the exit.   


“Where are you going?” she called, jogging to catch up.

“To find the container.”   


“But what about your body?” 

“This, Inej, is more important. Go home. I’ll call you when I need you.”   


“No,” Inej insisted. Kaz turned to her in disbelief. Inej fell through him, and they both shivered.

“No?” Kaz asked, ignoring the sickening feeling rising in his throat.  _ Not the water. Not the water. _

“I’m going with you,” Inej demanded.

Kaz rolled his eyes. “I’m not going to babysit you while I go on a business trip.”

“Oh, please.” Inej said. “I’ll be the one keeping you out of jail.”   


Kaz stared her down. Inej’s eyes were back at his mouth, thinking it was his eyes.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake. Fine.” Kaz snapped, whirling around. “And my eyes are here, Wraith.”

“Wraith?” Inej asked.

“Didn’t you know?” Kaz turned, a grin on his face. “You have a street name. The girl who held Heleen Van Houden at knifepoint and disappeared completely. People have been looking for you for years. I guess I’m the lucky one who found you.”   


Inej tilted her head. “Are you going to turn me in to Tante Heleen?”

Kaz considered. “Well, we’ll see how much you get on my nerves.”   


Inej couldn’t help but smile as she followed the floating gloves out the warehouse door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! I hope this chapter makes up for it!  
> (also sorry for the swearing and terribly graphic threats but also you read six of crows it's nothing new to any of us)  
> Thank you for everyone who is enjoying this, and especially to those who are leaving comments about your thoughts! They make my day!  
> Thank you for reading and please review!  
> ~Ani

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading and please review!  
> ~Ani


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